08 Scion xD By ALAN GELL www.CarColumns.Net Scion was a small car company that became a part of Toyota a few years ago.  Their  first vehicles caught the attention and imagination of the public, mostly the younger consumers.  The xA and the xB were considered a statement and the buying approach was done more on the web than by dealing with a sales person.  Now, we have a new xB and xD coming as new 2008 models, replacing the older xA and xB

The xD is a small hatchback sedan.  It is a four door, front wheel drive subcompact, very similar to the popular Toyota Yaris.  In fact, the new xD is produced at the same Japanese plant that makes the Yaris and the Corolla. 

The xD is powered by a 1.8 liter four cylinder engine that produces 128 horsepower.  It comes with a five speed standard shift or a four speed automatic.  The automatic transmission does have a manual-shift mode.  This new engine is slightly larger than the xA that it is replacing and should appeal to more buyers.  The xA never seemed to have enough power and this engine should help the driver feel like they can maneuver without having to get out and push.

Outside, there is nothing special that grabs attention.  It has an attractive look, but not necessarily a look that captures your wanting to look again.  It is a few inches longer than the xA, coming in at 154.7 inches long, 60 inches tall, and 67.9 inches wide.  It sits on a 96.9 inch wheelbase.

This is designed to be a small car, so don’t expect it to be roomy inside.  With the back seat up and usable, there’s only 10 and a half cubic feet of cargo space in the back.  Since it is a hatchback, however, the xD can carry 35.7 cubic feet of cargo if you fold down that back seat.  That’s still not a lot, but allows the xD to carry quite a bit of luggage for just one or two people.  The two passenger seats in front are sporty in appearance.

Most of everything comes as standard equipment on the xD and buyers won’t have to order add-ons and pay extra for them.  Listed as standard is air conditioning, power windows, power outside mirrors, rear window defogger, outside mirror mounted turn signals, intermittent wipers, and a rear window wiper. 

The 2008 xD is priced slightly over $15,000 and that includes the delivery charges.  The automatic transmission will cost about $800 extra.  It is rated as 27 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.  That’s using the new 2008 federal standards.

Bottom line, this is not necessarily an car that makes you go “Wow.” It’s really lackluster. But it does seem to embody the original premise of the Scion line – to use available Toyota parts and equipment so that costs can be kept low and controlled, while keeping quality up.   Check out the 2008 Scion xD on the web or visit a Toyota dealership to find out more.  I’m not sure there is much more.  But for the low price, it does offer quite a bit, including reliability and dependability